Apparatus for stirring and delivering grain



3 Sheets-Sheet 1. S. MARSH.

Grain Drier.

No. 25,745. Patented Oct. 11, 1859.

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Grain Drier. v No. 25,745. Patented 0m. 11, 1859.

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Grain Drier.

N0. 25,745-.. Patented 0m. 11, 1859.

m I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SYLVESTER MARSH, OF VEST ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR STIR/RING AND DELIVERING GRAIN.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,745, dated October 11, 1859-.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYLvEs'rER MARSH, of West Roxbury, in the county ofNorfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful GrainStirring and De livering Attachment to Grain-Drying Apparatus; and Ihereby declare the following to be a full and clear description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms part ofthis specification, and in which Figure 1, represents a plan of a graindrying apparatus, with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2, alongitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 3, a side view thereof;and Fig. 4 a rear or delivery end view of the same.

In drying grain by artificial heat previous to storing and on otheroccasions, it is de sirable that the grain should be as uniformly driedas possible and that it should not be allowed to remain still or toolong exposed to the heat, without being agitated, when passing throughor over the drying surface or apparatus.

My invention has for its object a more perfect distribution, agitationand delivery of the grainon and from the drying surface and whereby thedesired result is obtained automatically and in an economical and rapidmanner.

I will now proceed to describe my contrivance as applied to a graindrying surface or apparatus and for this purpose refer to theaccompanying drawings wherein the portion marked A represents ahorizontal reticulated bed and which constitutes the drying surface asthe grain passes on to, along and: over it. This bed A may be made ofthin sheet metal with fine perforations or punctures made in it and ofany desired length and width. Said drying surface forms the top to a hotair chamber B, which may be heated by one or more furnaces C and thelatteror their smoke pipes or passages 64 terminating in a general flueb. The heated air ascending warms and passes through the reticulated bedor grain drying surface A.

The grain is fed on to the reticulated bed A by a hopperD, arrangedatand over its one end. This hopper with its outlet or discharge may beof the width of the bed or thereabout, and. its position or shape suclras to cause the-grain to slightly shoot forward onto thereticula-ted bedA.

Over the bed A, it is necessary that the grain to be dried by the heatbeneath and passing through it, should be spread or distributed over thewhole bed surface, and

be stirred or agitated thereon and gradually or at frequently recurringintervals be worked or moved forward and as fast as dried be deliveredfrom off said bed, as well as to guard against injury to the dried grainas'to make room on the drying bed for fresh undried grain entering bythe hopper at 1 the head of the bed. To do this efl' ectually I employthe following devices or their equivalents.

At a suitable height over the bed A I in range for reciprocatingtransverse in direction of the length of the bed, a truck E, the wheelsof which run on suitable side rails or surfaces. The frame of this truckcarries any number of cross ties 0 in or through which are hung or passa series of vertical shanks (Z of paddles F. These paddles should besufliciently close, each row, as when turned tooccupy an extreme obliqueposition across the truck and over the reticulated bed against or closeover which they work, they, combined, sweep over the whole width of thereticulated bed as the truck E is moved from the hopper toward the backend of the apparatus, during which traverse said paddles lie obliquelyas described.

Each adjoining row of paddles should be set to occupy a reverse obliqueposition to the row of paddles immediately preceding them and shouldhave their shanks or shafts arranged in lines intermediate of the shaftsof the preceding ones.

In the back motion of the truck E 2'. 6. when moving from the rear endof the apparatus to or toward the hopper D, the position of the severalpaddles is changed from their oblique and sweeping set just described toan edge presentation or set, and again changed to their oblique set whenthe truck is about to move forward. Thus, or otherwise equivalentlyarranged and operating, it will be obvious, that, upon the truck E,being made to reciprocate as described, the grainto'be dried, will notonly be leveled or spread over the reticulated bed A, but will be thrownalternately to the right and then to the left by the reversely setpaddles when occupying their oblique positions and moving from thehopper; and will be stirred or agitated and turned and moved forwardduring such set and traverse of the paddles with their truck. It alsowill be seen that said grain will be further stirred by the paddles inchanging their positions and that it will not be drawn back by thereverse run of the truck, as the paddles have during such lattertraverse an edge presentation. In this way too a sufficiently slow yetprogressive motion of the grain over the reticulated bed is made and itsdelivery from time to time effected at the far end of said bed where maybe arranged a conveying spout G for the dried gram. 7

As it is only during the forward motion of the truck that the paddlesoperate to move the grain onward a sufficient interval of rest occursfor the heat to get hold upon the grain, yet not suflicient rest for therain to become unequally heated, and the frequent changes of positionwhich the paddles give the grain, as well by their intermittent forwardstroke as by the reverse obliquity of said paddles, effectually preventinjury to the grain by its tending during the back travel of the truckwhen the paddles move edgewise through the grain. In this way is thegrain automatically distributed and stirred, and urged forward atintervals by each advance row of paddles getting hold of it insuccession and, after it has traversed the whole length of thereticulated bed, finally delivered in a properly dried state eachsuccessive forward stroke of the truck. The truck E with its paddles Fmay have the reciprocating motion in direction of the length of thereticulated bed given them by means of a crank H hung on a shaft Idriven by a suitable power, said crank being connected with thetruckframe by a pitman K. This pitman I prefer to attach to the wrist ofthe crank H by or through a slide 0 adjustable in direction of the throwof the crank whereby more or less stroke may be given to the truck andpaddles as required.

I also prefer to make the pitman K, in two parts linked together by aconnecting screw f, whereby the range of motion of the truck and paddleson or over the reticulated bed may be changed without of necessityaltering the length of stroke of the truck or to suit an increase ordiminution of the truck stroke as the case may be; said lengthening andshortening or adjustable pitman K, serving to set the truck with itspaddles at a proper distance (according to the feed and a variety ofcircumstances) from the suppl ing hopper, or rear end of the reticulatedbed, as required.

To change the action of the paddles by giving them an oblique positionwhen the truck moves forward and an edgewise position when movingbackward, as and for the purposes before described, I provide the vwhichfit in the slots 72 of cross bars N to said frame M. Inclined planes 0are provialed said cross sliding frame M on its one s1 e.

When the truck E is about finishing its forward stroke, the inclinedplanes 0 of the cross sliding frame M, strike and move against fixedstops P, which causes said frame to move crosswise, and in so moving toturn the cranks g and shift the paddles F form an oblique to an edge setor presentation for the backward travel of the truck.

The inclined planes 0, when set are fixtures to the sliding frame M, butthey are so connected thereto by pivot and screw and slot, as to admitof their inclination being varied to suit different degrees of obliquitygiven the paddles; a certain obliquity of the paddles requiring a lesserstroke of the cross sliding frame, and a different obliquity or largerstroke thereof to bring the paddles straight for the back run of thetruck. Said adjustability of the inclined planes 0 also serves to suitalterations in the range of the trucks travel and stroke.

As the truck E approaches the limit of its back stroke, an inclinedplane Q, attached to the truck on the other side and projecting from itsback end, lifts a weighted catch R, that releasing a lever S causes thelatter, by its clip at its one end 2' of the cross frame M, and by aweight T, pulling on it at the other, to suddenly throw the crosssliding frame M back to its original position and in so doing, to turnthe paddles to their required oblique positions for the forward traverseof the truck. The lever S, when moved, traverses horizontally, turningon an intermediate fulcrum at V.

The weight T, as before described, serves to throw the lever to bringthe cross sliding frame back. To throw the lever in the other directionso as to put in position again to be locked by the weighted catch R,till required to be released as before, said lever is made with a swellK that an inclined iece Z attached to the truck, rubs against uring theforward travel of the truck, and movin the lever S raises the weight T,till sai lever S is locked by the weighted catch R.

Having thus fully described my improvement in grain stirring anddelivering apparatus, I shall state my claims as follows:

1. The combination, with the reticulated bed, or other suitable dryingtable, of a reciprocating truck armed with paddles or stirrers foragitating the grain on the drying surface.

2. The arrangement, substantially as specified, of the truck paddles inrows, one in ad- Vance of the other and the paddles of each precedingrow intermediate of those next behind them.

3. Giving to the paddles of the reciproeating truck an oblique set forand during the forward travel of the truck and giving them an edgepresentation or set for and during the back travel of the same,essentially as and for the purposes set forth.

4- Giving to said paddles reverse obliquities for and during the forwardtravel of the truck, so as to throw the grain alternately to the rightand to the left in the feed forward of the grain by the paddles.

5. The combination, with the reciprocating truck and its paddles, of across sliding frame made to gear by cranks or their equivalents, withthe several paddles for simultaneously changing the latter from anoblique to a straight set and vice versa, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with the cross sliding frame to the reciprocatingtruck, of one or more adjustable inclines and stops, for automaticallyreversing the position of the paddles in their one direction.

7. Drawing the cross frame back to its original position, to give to thepaddles a different set, by means of a clip lever acted on by a weight,weighted catch, and inclined projection connected with the reciprocatingtruck, or their equivalents, also afterward returning said lever to itsformer position, to be locked by the weighted catch, by an inclinedplane on the truck acting against and over a swell on the lever,substantially as herein set forth.

8. Varying the range of motion of the reciprocating truck on or over thedrying surface and relatively to the feed or delivery ends thereof, bymeans of a lengthening and shortening driving pitman made adjustable,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification beforetwo subscribing witnesses.

SYLVESTER MARSH.

lVitnesses:

A.- POLLAK, EDM. 1*. BROWN.

